Vegas June 2024 (WSOP)

Day 8 - NLH at MGM Grand

Last Updated: 2024-06-13 13:51:57

Oh so close...

Starbucks for breakfast, no time for the pool, proofread the BLOG and met Patrick and Dyan in the lobby to head over for No Limit Hold'Em at MGM Grand. Matt G met us there, Dyan headed back to the hotel to eventually have a shopping day with Joann.

My day started out great. Early on I picked up pocket kings, raised out, saw an 8-high flop. Led out for 2200, got min-raised to 4400 and made the call. Check/shoved all in when the turn brought straight and flush draws and the other guy led out for 5500 but folded to my all-in.

Picked up some more pots here and there. You know you're feeling confident when you can correctly bet for thin value with 8-7 on a board of 5-2-T-7-5 with three spades and get paid off by a worse hand!

You also know you're always seeking to get better when you message your wife to remind yourself to look at the preflop raise chart with 88 in middle position when deep stacked. It is a raise actually from any position when deep, FWIW, which I did not do. My one blip in what I thought was a fairly close to perfect day of poker decisions for me...

Anyway...

Late in the fourth level I turned a flush and got paid, into the break at 67,900 from a 30k starting stack. Nice!

Patrick was doing OK, Matt like the day before was down to about half a stack but alive and kicking. They were at the same table as each other, not with me.

Spent the next two 30 minute levels in neutral, not much was working out but every now and then stole a pot to stay above 60k. Also in that time my table got broken up, I started out just as card dead at the new table.

Finally won a decent pot when a very loose player raised out to 2500 at 600/1200/1200 and me with A-J of clubs and one or two others called. Original raiser check/called my 6000 bet on an ace high flop, everyone else folded out, but he went away also on my turn bet.

I would have A-J of clubs specifically two more times, and it didn't go as well those times...

Meanwhile I saw Patrick and Matt's table also got broken up to consolidate tables. At that point there were 6 tables, so at most 54 players 9-handed, so far 104 buyins.

I win my first flip of the day, taking out a short-ish 25k stack with A-K off vs 10-10. King on the flop, ship it!

That got me up to 111,600. Getting close to four times a starting stack!

Going into the next break I raised out with QQ and got one caller in the big blind as I'm buying up all the 100 value chips. Flop Q-Q-T. I "disgustedly" check, he leads out, I call. Flop checks around, I try leading out on the river but it turned out he was on a flush draw and missed so didn't pay me. Ugh!

Hard to get paid with quads...

124,500 on the next break.

Final tally was 107 players, still six tables so the board says 54 remain but I see at least three empty seats. Paying 14 places, they announce they did not make their guarantee so MGM is adding $4600 to the pot to make it exactly $40,000. $960 for bottom two places, cool $12,000 for first.

More than three empty seats, apparently, because they quickly broke up a table and we were down to 45.

I was feeling real good about my chances for my second cash of the trip. Unfortunately it went to hell rather quickly.

Short stack in the small blind raises out, I go over the top for half his stack with A-J suited in clubs. He thinks, puts all his chips in, I call and he rolls over A-9 offsuit.

Odds calculator says I was ahead 71% to 22% (the rest being the odds of a tie). 9 on the flop, turn gives me a straight draw but no help on the river and I double him up for 30k out of my stack. Down around 80k.

Break up another table, down to 36, 22 from money.

Not even 10 minutes later I get all in again with A-J of clubs vs J-10 of diamonds. I'm a 68%-31% favorite.

He flops a straight, I'm dead to a 10 for a chop, no 10, another 21k out of my stack.

Give up my blinds and in a blink I've gone from a very comfortable stack to under 20 big blinds. Not good.

I get all-ins through with K-10 suited, 10-10 and J-J. No action, but each one had at least a limp or a raise along with the blinds so they were profitable shoves.

Then over the top of a raise to 6k with A-K, couldn't believe he made it 6k and folded to my jam, thought I was getting action!

I had worked my way back up to 65k.

But ... I had won my first flip of the day, I lost my second. Folded to me in the small blind, I look down at 44, I jam into the short stack but tight player in the big blind ... he thinks a long time and decides to gamble with K-8 of hearts. Just a 51/48 fave, 8 on the flop and I'm doubling up a third short stack.

30 players left, 16 from money. Now I'm frustrated at my terrible luck.

Very short stacked, if not the shortest remaining certainly in the running for it. I look down at an ace, I go all in, no callers, second card was an offsuit queen.

Next hand look down at an ace, go all in, folds come, I peek and see a suited king(!), big blind shorter than me quickly calls and rolls over A-Q. The best hand finally wins!

One more "see an ace, go all in" and this time it was A-4 and just like that I built back up from about 20k to 59k going into a dinner break.

Matt and Patrick had scratched and crawled their way almost this far, both busted just short of the dinner break.

But with blinds at 2000/4000/4000 I don't even have 15 big blinds. Something is going to have to happen for me quickly after the break.

Board fully updated on break. 23 left. 9 from the money.

Don't see a card bigger than 7 the first four hands.

8 from the money.

I get saved from my first big blind when I'm moved to balance out the tables.

7 from the money. But I'm desperately short.

6...

I finally have to put in a big blind. Folds to small blind, she just calls and I look down at ace-ten. I jam, she shakes her head and folds.

Few hands later I look down at A-Q suited and go all in again. Folds to big blind and he seriously tanks. Counts out my now 61k stack from his, thinks and thinks and finally calls with A-K suited.

In the moment I showed no emotion but I was pretty pissed at what seemed to me to be a blatant slow roll. Seriously thinking about A-K suited in that spot?

But ... in hindsight he thought I had a pair and didn't really want to flip for almost half his stack. As I was leaving, since I got no help on the board, I realized what he was thinking and I understand it.

Out. 6 from the money. After having such a comfortable stack and getting in good so many times and losing. And no luck the one time I'm in behind.

Frustrating is the only word.

As I'm typing it looks like I've gotten Patrick to reconsider the Thursday plan. I don't want to play another 3000-4000 player $800 buyin at the WSOP. I told him I'd do HEROS at MGM or PLO at Aria and as I'm typing this up Patrick is leaning PLO. If he plays WSOP after all I'm probably doing HEROS but if he sticks with PLO I'm definitely in for that.